Comparative Study of Population Aging Trend in Iran and Poland

Population aging and its consequences are an extremely controversial issue in the global context. An increase in the number of older people along with a decrease in the birth rate leads to an excessive burden on the economically active part of the population. Such imbalances threaten to reduce the workforce, slow economic growth, increase social spending, increase the fiscal burden

Effectiveness of slump stretching on low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. The slump test is a type of neurodynamic test that is believed to evaluate the mechanosensitivity of the neuromeningeal structures within the vertebral canal. The objective of this review was to investigate the effectiveness of slump stretching on back pain and disability in patients with low back pain (LBP). Methods. We searched eight electronic databases (PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Ovid, CINAHL, Embase, PEDro, Google Scholar, CENTRAL). The publication language was restricted to English, and we searched the full time period available for each database, up to October 2017. Our primary outcomes were pain and disability, and the secondary outcome was range of motion (ROM). Results. We identified 12 eligible studies with 515 LBP patients. All included studies reported short-term follow-up. A large effect size (standardized mean difference SMD ¼ �2.15, 95% confidence interval CI ¼ �3.35 to � 0.95) and significant effect were determined, favoring the use of slump stretching to decrease pain in patients with LBP. In addition, large effect sizes and significant results were also found for the effect of slump stretching on disability improvement (SMD ¼ �8.03, 95% CI ¼ �11.59 to �4.47) in the LBP population. A qualitative synthesis of results showed that slump stretching can significantly increase straight leg raise and active knee extension ROM. Conclusions. There is very low to moderate quality of evidence that slump stretching may have positive effects on pain in people with LBP. However, the quality of evidence for the benefits of slump stretching on disability was very low. Finally, it appears that patients with nonradicular LBP may benefit most from slump stretching compared with other types of LBP. © 2018 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved

How effective is stretching in maintaining range of movement for children with cerebral palsy?

YesBackground: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common childhood disorder affecting four percent of children born in the UK. It is common for children with CP to have reduced range of movement (ROM) due to spasticity and contractures. Stretching is commonly used in physiotherapy programmes to manage this. Aim: This critical review aims to evaluate the evidence base behind the use of stretching for children with CP. Methods: A systematic literature search of AMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library Trials was conducted. Returned searches were assessed against strict criteria according to a predefined PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Study). These studies were then critically appraised to assess the validity, reliability and clinical relevance. Findings: There is evidence supporting the use of stretching in children with CP. However there is also some evidence to suggest very little or no positive change. All of the included studies have methodological limitations, which questions the validity of the results. Conclusions/Recommendations: The research suggests some positive outcomes for the use of stretching in CP, studies that did not find positive outcomes found no adverse effects; however further research in the area is required to validate the effectiveness of stretching to maintain ROM in children with CP

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Consumption Reduces Oxidative Stress and Markers of Muscle Damage after Combat Readiness Tests in Soldiers

Military activities often involve high-intensity exercise that can disrupt antioxidant capacity. We investigated the effects of oregano supplementation on muscle damage, oxidative stress, and plasma antioxidant markers of soldiers performing the army combat readiness test (ACRT). Twenty-four healthy male soldiers (age: 24 ± 3 years, height: 167 ± 14 cm, mass: 66 ± 3 kg) were randomized into a placebo group (n = 12) or an oregano supplementation group (n = 12). The participants consumed a capsule containing 500 mg Origanum vulgare immediately after completing the ACRT. Blood sampling was taken before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 60 and 120 min after oregano consumption. Plasma levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured at the four time points. The time × group interactions were found for CK (p < 0.0001, d = 3.64), LDH (p < 0.0001, d = 1.64), MDA (p < 0.0001, d = 9.94), SOD (p < 0.0001, d = 1.88), TAC (p < 0.0001, d = 5.68) and GPX (p < 0.0001, d = 2.38). In all variables, the difference between placebo and oregano groups were significant at 60 (p < 0.0001) and 120 (p < 0.0001) minutes after ACRT test. The main effect of time was also significant for all the variables (p < 0.0001). Our results suggest that oregano supplementation has the potential to reduce muscle damage and increase oxidative capacity following ACRT. Supplementation with oregano may serve as a dietary strategy to increase preparedness and promote recovery in military recruits

Comparison of electronic versus conventional assessment methods in ophthalmology residents; a learner assessment scholarship study

Background: Assessment is a necessary part of training postgraduate medical residents. The implementation of methods located at the �shows how� level of Miller�s pyramid is believed to be more effective than previous conventional tools. In this study, we quantitatively compared electronic and conventional methods in assessing ophthalmology residents. Methods: In this retrospective study, eight different conventional methods of assessment including residents� attendance, logbook, scholarship and research skills, journal club, outpatient department participation, Multiple Choice Question (MCQ), Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and professionalism/360-degree (as one complex) were used to assess 24 ophthalmology residents of all grades. Electronic media consisting of an online Patient Management Problem (e-PMP), and modified electronic OSCE (me-OSCE) tests performed 3 weeks later were also evaluated for each of the 24 residents. Quantitative analysis was then performed comparing the conventional and electronic assessment tools, statistically assessing the correlation between the two approaches. Results: Twenty-four ophthalmology residents of different grades were included in this study. In the electronic assessment, average e-PMP scores (48.01 ± 12.40) were much lower than me-OSCE (65.34 ± 17.11). The total average electronic score was 56.67 ± 11.28, while the total average conventional score was 80.74 ± 5.99. Female and male residents� average scores in the electronic and conventional method were (59.15 ± 12.32 versus 83.01 ± 4.95) and (55.19 ± 10.77 versus 79.38 ± 6.29), respectively. The correlation between modified electronic OSCE and all conventional methods was not statistically significant (P-value >0.05). Correlation between e-PMP and six conventional methods, consisting of professionalism/360-degree assessment tool, logbook, research skills, Multiple Choice Questions, Outpatient department participation, and Journal club active participation was statistically significant (P-value < 0.05). The overall correlation between conventional and electronic methods was significant (P-value = 0.017). Conclusion: In this study, we conclude that electronic PMP can be used alongside all conventional tools, and overall, e-assessment methods could replace currently used conventional methods. Combined electronic PMP and me-OSCE can be used as a replacement for currently used gold-standard assessment methods, including 360-degree assessment. © 2021, The Author(s)

Speech segregation under reverberant conditions

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN014014 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

RADAR BACKSCATTER AND OPTICAL TEXTURAL INDICES FUSION FOR PINE PLANTATION STRUCTURE MAPPING

One of the most important concerns of remote sensing research has been the quantification of forest structure variables. This issue has been investigated using different remotely sensed data including optical, radar and lidar data. Moreover, the utility of multisensor data has been examined for this task. Radar images are being considered as one of the available tools for forest studies; however, some constrains of this data such as speckle noise and the high sensitivity of this data to topography prevent it from being widely utilized for forest structure mapping. A possible solution is to integrate radar data with optical data to improve the accuracy of the biophysical parameter estimations; however, the results of the common fusion method does not show significant improvement if the efficacy of one of the datasets is much lower than the other one. In this study multi-date ALOS/PALSAR data with HH and HV polarizations were used along with SPOT-5 textural indices derived from the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), and the subtract and sum histogram (SADH), calculated in different orientations and window sizes for retrieval of a Pinus radiata plantation at plot-level in NSW, Australia. In order to overcome the deficiency of the common fusion method, a new fusion method called ratio fusion is examined for fusion of radar and optical data. The results showed that the estimation of biophysical parameters including mean height, mean DBH, stand volume, basal area and stocking using SPOT-5 textural indices was more accurate than that derived using the backscatter data derived from multi-date ALOS/PALSAR images. Also, the accuracy of estimation of these forest structure parameters increases when the ratio of the SPOT-5 textural indices to the radar backscatter is used for this task

Cooperative Societies' Contribution to Sustainable Development in Mamassani Township

It is possible to say that Governments in all developing countries, more or less, set and exercise policies to improve the employment and social welfare indices as to achieve sustainable development and overall prosperity. In so doing, they turn to a variety of developmental theories including those based on the potentials of producers and service cooperatives. The current study, reviewing a theoretical framework on possible linkages of cooperative societies with sustainable development, proceeds to discuss the role of the Cooperative Office in Mamassani Township in initiating cooperative societies since 1997 as an enabling policy of employment. Results show that the Cooperative Office as the main cooperative authority in the Township has managed to take bold steps such as channeling a twenty-percent public contribution to set up 121 cooperative societies in industrial, agricultural and service sectors. This has generated 1056 direct jobs in Mamassani, making effective contribution to sustainable development of the district